How far would you go to protect your family? Would you compromise your moral beliefs for honor? These weighty themes are explored in smoldering detail in To Kill a Man, by Chilean writer-director Alejandro Fernández Almendras. Jorge (Daniel Candia) is a middle-aged forest caretaker and father of two whose life is upended when he’s mugged by a local gang of toughs. Not one to anger quickly, the diabetic Jorge lets the assailants escape with his insulin kit and a little of his dignity. Enraged, Jorge’s son Jorgito (Ariel Mateluna) confronts Kalule (Daniel Antivilo), the leader of the thugs, but ends up in the hospital for his bravery. While Kalule does time for his crime, the harassment from the gang doesn’t let up. Meanwhile, Jorge’s wife Marta (Alexandra Yanez) peppers him with emasculating comments him for his timidity. Slowly, Jorge plots a revenge that’s startling in its inventiveness and moral equivocation. Evoking other “defend the home” films such as William Wyler’s The Desperate Hours (1955) and Sam Peckinpah’s Straws Dogs (1971), Almendras’ film gradually builds tension until it reaches a boiling point. To Kill a Man, which won the Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, is a disquieting thriller that reexamines the nature of violence and the capacity of humanity to turn the other cheek.

Director Biography

After studying journalism at the University of Chile, writer-director Alejandro Fernández Almendras has worked as a photographer, film critic, and journalist before moving into filmmaking. Since 2003, he has directed several shorts, including Lo Que Trae La Lluvia (2007), which won several awards on the festival circuit. His features include Huacho (2009) and Sentados Frente al Fuego (2011). His third feature, To Kill a Man (2014), won the Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize.

Print Sources

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